West Indian all-rounder Carlos Brathwaite, an experienced Twenty20 specialist with over 200 caps, is set to join the Gulf Giants. That was with Englishman Jimmy Overton pulling out of the ILT20 tournament due to a lumbar stress fracture.
Accordingly, the all-rounder joins the squad and despite Overton’s injury, Braithwaite’s arrival means the Giants have been bolstered by a power hitter who can be deployed anywhere in the batting order.
In the past, the player has not been a regular in international cricket or franchise cricket, but he has not made the most of his potential. However, this would be a great opportunity to revive his career in the franchise leagues.
Brathwaite is not only a hard hitter, but also useful with the ball. Brathwaite made his name in the final of the 2016 ICC T20 World Cup when he hit four consecutive sixes off Ben Stokes to win the series for West Indies at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
Gulf Giants head coach Andy Flower, former Zimbabwean captain, was delighted with the inclusion of the lanky Caribbean player in the squad.
“It’s unfortunate he won’t be part of the tournament given the nature of his injury. I wish him a speedy recovery. Meanwhile, I am happy that we are getting Carlos on board. He is a young dynamic player who will strengthen our squad.”
Carlos, who has scored 243 runs and 2302 runs in 246 T20 matches, has also managed to take 237 wickets in the T20 format.